Woody Allen’s ‘To Rome with Love’ Review

I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a fan of Woody Allen movies, I have liked some and I felt meh for others. However, I have enjoyed a lot of his recent films, especially his latest, Midnight in Paris, which I loved. That’s why I was excited to see his new film, To Rome with Love, and let me tell you it didn’t disappoint.

To Rome with Love takes place in Rome (of course) and follows a few different characters. We meet a newlywed couple, Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi) and Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi), who has just moved to Rome and gets into quite a bit of of trouble. Then there is Leopoldo (Roberto Benigni) an ordinary working man who suddenly becomes a celebrity. Did I mention Jack (Jesse Eisenberg) who is dating Sally (Greta Gerwig) but might be interested in Sally’s best friend Monica (Ellen Page)? And finally, we are also introduced to new couple Hayley (Alison Pill) and Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti) and their parents, Jerry (Woody Allen), Phyllis (Judy Davis) and Giancarlo (Fabio Armiliato).

What I loved about this film is that it mixes humor and social commentary, but doesn’t hit you on the head with it. One of the themes Allen explores is the new age of celebrity in a way that is so absurd yet so true on some level that you have to laugh at it. There is also such a different range of characters, some you will love and others you will loathe which might also say something about you.

The performances from the cast are all great and help in telling this story in a very compelling way. Funny enough, my favorite performance was Woody Allen’s himself, he made me laugh a lot and his whole character’s storyline was also my favorite. I don’t want to say too much about it because it’s better if you experience it yourself but I’ll say this, it involves opera and a shower…

If you enjoy character study, social commentary and multiple storylines, then this movie was meant for you. I thought I might enjoy it, but I ended up loving it. Whether you enjoy the whole thing or not, some of it is bound to put a smile on your face.

To Rome with Love is now playing in limited theaters. You can watch the trailer below.

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